Here Come The Mummies bring undead funk

Mummies.jpg

Mummies.jpg

Matt Wickstrom

Rumor has it that they’re reincarnated Grammy-winning musicians, however the true identities of the mummified souls behind Here Come The Mummies may never be unveiled due to the decomposition that takes hold of a body lifeless for thousands of years.

The Nashville-based band consists of Mummy Cass, Eddie Mummy, KW Tut, Spazzy Mummy, The Pole, Midnight Mummy, The Flu, BB Queen, Mummy Rah and Will Pharaoh.

According to Mummy Cass, the band was a group of mortal men before being cursed by a pharaoh and are now in search of the perfect riff, adding that, “they were supposed to finally rest our souls!” The group’s foray into funk is nearly as unlikely as their long-awaited reincarnation.

“It is just as unlikely as anything else, but maybe it has something to do with rot,” Mummy Cass said. “We have what can only be called a ‘stank’ to us from of walking around half-dead, and we have the musical equivalent of that ‘stank’ – Funk.”

Here Come The Mummies are known best for their mysterious identities, which are literally kept under wraps by their pseudonyms and the toilet paper wrappings that keep their bodies intact after thousands of years of decomposition.

“These rags have ‘baked in’ over the centuries, and we’d be hard pressed to say where they end and semi-preserved flesh begins,” Mummy Cass said. “Spaz has straight up lost his left arm more than once! It doesn’t really hurt, strangely.”

 

The group has been hard at work since its escape from the crypt in 2000, releasing eight records, including two in 2016 titled “Underground” and “A Blessing and a Curse.”

Both records give off a high-energy vibe of in-your-face funk, a surprise coming from a cast of undead musicians, incorporating elements of jazz into their repertoire along with impeccable guitar riffs and catchy lyrics that you can’t help but shake your hips to.

“It has a little straight-up funk, some deep soul-ballads, and fun excursions elsewhere,” Mummy Cass said. “We recorded it at our own studio, The Crypt, ourselves. It was recorded on tape, as was ‘Underground.’”

Here Come The Mummies will perform on Friday, Dec. 2 at Manchester Music Hall. Tickets range from $21.25 to $100, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and music beginning at 8 p.m..

“(Music) teaches us daily that life is a journey and to stay curious and be ready for anything,” Mummy Cass said. “That’s when you make the best sounds and when you feel most alive, even if you are half-dead like us.”

IF YOU GO

What: Here Come The Mummies

When: Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.

Where: Manchester Music Hall

Tickets: $21.25-100